Best Of K-pop 2016

2016 was both a good and bad (it was no 2014 but, then, what is?) year for K-pop: Lots of amazing music was released but we also lost several of our favourite groups and members. However, the good kind of outweighs the bad in my opinion. There were a lot of my favourite groups delivering, as per, but there were also people I'd never heard of before or had never paid much attention to, who blew me away.

Here are the 25 best K-pop tracks of 2016, IMHO. (Note: The order is arbitrary, I couldn't bear trying to rank all of these.)

1. VIXX "Fantasy"

VIXX released three mini-albums in 2016 and had an all around good year. The members were in dramas, movies, musicals and variety shows, released solo tracks for OSTs and, in the case of Ravi, a mixtape. 2016 solidified them as one of the best and most exciting groups in the industry. As a result of all this, there are a lot of tracks I could have picked (and lots I love) but I went with "Fantasy", which samples Beethoven, is slick as and shows the boys at their gothiest, moodiest best.




2. Rainbow "Whoo"
Rainbow announced that they were disbanding only recently and it's a serious pity. This release is catchy as hell (that "Clap. Clap, clap, clap" gets stuck in my head so bad), cute and epistomises everything that was great about the group. Also, how hot is Jaekyung?! Dang. 
It's only a shame that they never really got the recognition that they deserved. 


3. WINNER "Sentimental"

WINNER is one of my favourite groups, perhaps even second to VIXX. Obviously, they are another group about whom we got sad news this year, following the confusion about the failure for planned comebacks to actually happen and the eventual departure of Nam Taehyun. Sad as I am that Taehyun has left, I still love and support the group and can't wait for them to be able to get back to making music together now. It was hard to choose just one track from the releases that came out in the beginning of this year but I went with "Sentimental" in the end. Mostly because the kind of chacha move during the choreo in the chorus is adorable and addictive.

4. Sandeul "Stay as you are"

Much as I loved B1A4's comeback (finally), it was Sandeul's solo track that really stole my heart this year. The sentiment behind the song was destined to do so. I mean, I'm a romantic moron. Basically, it's about how he hasn't met the love of his life yet but wherever she is and whatever she is doing, he wants her to be happy and loved and only live well until he meets her, even if she is currently with someone else. And, of course, it sounds beautiful because, if Sandeul's appearances on singing shows in the past year have taught us anything, it's that he really is a stunning singer.

5. 4Minute "Hate"

Another group that sadly disbanded this year, 4Minute left us on a rather strong note with the cinematic, punchy, intense and excellent "Hate". It was a great follow-up to the similarly strong "Crazy" and a brilliant direction for the band, it's a pity that they didn't get to explore it a little more...

6. SEVENTEEN "Check-in"

SEVENTEEN are a group that make me smile affectionately like a doting older sister. They're incredibly talented and have a bright future ahead of themselves. They also work very damn hard. I mean, how many comebacks did they have this year alone? I could have chosen any one of those as each was catchy, bright and exciting but I went with the Hip-hop sub-unit's first mixtape track that was released with a video. The video is rad and the song is great but mostly I was just being lame and bailing on having to choose a favourite among their other tracks.

7. K.A.R.D. "Oh Nana"

I wasn't aware a co-ed group was debuting until this video had already come out. I checked it out out of curiosity but stuck around for the track. Can you say "bop alert"?! So. Damn. Good.

8. BTS "Blood, Sweat and Tears"

I can't not include BTS. If you're talking about bops, they definitely have to be part of the conversation. They are killing it and only going from strength to strength. I think they might even be the first K-pop group that will ever truly break into the American music market. But, even if that never happens, they are still the reigning princes of K-pop. There's a reason I look forward to their every comeback so keenly, they never disappoint and "Blood, Sweat and Tears" is fantastic.

9. Brave Girls "Deepened"

For some reason, Brave Girls are flying wayyy under the radar but all of their releases have been great. "High Heels" was a typical bubbly summer girl group track, yet still excellent and a little more refreshingly tongue-in-cheek and self-aware than many other groups who produced similar tracks. However, "Deepened", released at the beginning of the year, is a truly good song that is a breath of fresh air. I really hope these guys gain more of a following and get a chance to grow!

10. G. Soul "Where Do We Go From Here"

Speaking of flying under the radar, G.Soul is a JYP act that seems to be doing just that, which I cannot fathom. His releases this year were some of the better R&B k-pop tracks to be unleashed on the market...and yet he doesn't seem to be getting mainstream love. Atmospheric, moody and sexy, this is just some good shit. Plain and simple.

11. Wonder Girls "Why So Lonely"

Another JYP act that was killing it (the label was really having a good year) was Wonder Girls. Having ditched their CEO to produce their own track, they came back at us this summer, following their eightiestastic comeback in 2015, with the excellent reggae-inspired "Why So Lonely".

12. MAMAMOO "I Miss You"

Perhaps an unpopular opinion but, of the songs MAMAMOO released this year, "I Miss You", was, hands down, my favourite. Sexy and cool, I thought that it was the direction the group was going to take. It seems their retro concept has taken over since then and I've personally tired of that a little so, this remains my favourite release from them this year.

13. I.O.I. "Very Very Very"

I.O.I. is the group that was formed by the television show Product 101, which pitched 101 trainees from various record labels against each other to become part of a girl group. Their releases have been very typical "cute" concept tracks but excellent ones and, though I'm not a massive fan of said concepts, I love I.O.I. As they are only a temporary project and won't be working together anymore, I felt I had to include them on this list and this song...well, I defy you to not get it stuck in your head.

14. EXO-CBX "Hey Mama"

Speaking of getting stuck in your head, the similarly repeated "Hey Mama" of this track from EXO's first sub-unit is damn catchy. EXO-CBX is made of some of my favourite (and underrated) members of the group and the whole project is slick, fun and stylish.

15. NU'EST (MINHYUN&JR) "Daybreak"

Nu'est are an older group that have achieved a decent amount of fame and recognition over the course of their career but aren't exactly a hot topic these days, which is a crying shame as this year's comebacks have been, in my opinion, the best they've ever had. Their sound is definitely smoother and more R&B influenced these days and is doing something a little more interesting than the rest of their peers. Everything they've produced this year has been dreamy, stylish and a little arty. This track, an unofficial sub-unit formed by Minhyun and JR on the latest album, is exactly that, dreamy and stylish. It was hard to just pick just one song but this is the one I had on repeat. Plus, the boys look especially gorgeous in this video.

16. MINO "Body"

If we're talking looking gorgeous, WINNER's Mino's solo track, "Body"(as part of his sub-unit releases with IKON's Bobby) deserves a mention. The song is sexy, the video is sexy and he looks seriously good in it.

17. Kwon Jinah "The End"

I love Kwon Jinah. Her whole album is fantastic from beginning to (excuse the pun) end but this song really stands out. Plus, I'm pretty damn proud that I was able to understand all of the dialogue in the video.

18. J-Min "Ready For Your Love"

Another fantastic track from a female soloist was J-Min's criminally underrated "Ready For Your Love". Not only is the song great but the video is stunning. I played this on a loop when it first came out.

19. NCT U "The 7th Sense"

One of the best debut tracks of the year has to be NCT U's "The 7th Sense". Dreamy, vaguely futuristic and impossibly cool, it was a strong introduction to SM's ambitious new boygroup that has 50 members who will be introduced to the public in sub-units that explore different genres, concepts and audiences across the globe, rather than perform as a whole. There were various NCT releases this year but this is my favourite, by far.

20. Loude "Tonight without You (1:00 AM)"

By comparison to every other group on this list, these guys are tiny. And, yet, I somehow stumbled upon them and fell in love. Clearly inspired by indie and dance acts from abroad, this is a chill pop-rock track with a funky beat and excellent synth use that is a very pleasant listen.

21. Agust D "Agust D"

When Suga of BTS released his mixtape, I wasn't particularly interested. In general, K-pop groups rappers' mixtapes aren't all that interesting to me but this one was different. Like Rap Monster before him, Suga proved that BTS is on a different level than most other groups. This mixtape is fantastic and the opening track, "Agust D", that introduces us to Suga's solo alterego, Agust D (Suga backwards + D for Daegu, where he is from) is killer. With their skyrocketing fame and Suga's personal demons informing the tracks and a brutal honesty that is refreshing in the poster perfect world of K-pop, this mixtape goes hard in the best possible way.

22. Yong Junhyung "After This Moment"

Another solo release from a K-pop rapper, this one comes from Beast's Junhyung and has a killer hook. This is one of my most-played tracks of the entire year. No video came out to accompany it, so I don't think it was crazily well-publicised. I imagine many people missed it but it's worth checking out.

23. ZICO "I am you, you are me"

Everything Zico touches turns to gold and he's been involved in a lot of great musical ventures in 2016 but this track from the beginning of the year is my favourite. The groovy rhythm, aesthetics of the video and styling are all right up my alley.

24. Jeong Jinwoon "Will (Feat. Tiger JK)"

With his move from JYP to Mystic, Jinwoon obviously got the opportunity to pursue the music he is really passionate about. Clearly, his love for rock needed to be explored after years in a ballad group and, while this debut was deemed a failure during subsequent television appearances, I really liked it. I think the styling and stylised atmosphere of the video and song are awesome. Plus, I love the Jarvis Cocker vibes.

25. BIGBANG "(FXXK IT)"

Even though this was just released, it has to be one of the best tracks of the year. BIGBANG are K-pop royalty, on a whole different level than everyone else. While I fuck with this a little less than last year's releases, it's still a fantastic song. It's just a damn shame that T.O.P. has to enlist in the new year and that other members are sure to follow shortly thereafter.

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Best of K-Pop 2015

2014 has been dubbed by many K-Pop fans as the worst year for the genre due to scandals, tragedies and other unfortunate events. By contrast, 2015 seems like one of the best in recent years.

In many ways, it was the year of the Rookie with outstanding, multi-talented groups like Seventeen, iKon and Monsta X all debuting in strong form this year. It was also a year of long-awaited comebacks with the likes of BAP returning after a nearly two year absence. 

Furthermore, this year marked the solo debuts and emergence of sub-groups from some of the most beloved and best-established acts. Hyunseung of Beast had a much under-hyped solo debut which showcased his outstanding dancing abilities and allowed the cheeky sex-appeal that was apparent through his Troublemaker activities with Hyuna in the past to shine through. VIXXLR brought together the angelic voice of vocal Leo with rapper Ravi of VIXX in a pairing that worked better than anyone could have imagined and gave us an album of great beauty that showed the writing cred of the band. 

VIXX themselves also had an outstanding comeback with "Chained Up" that saw the concept idols outdo themselves with the fan service. Hyuna, Zico and EXID came back harder than before. F(x) reemerged with an album that took risks and paid off with a really cool eighties vibe while Wonder Girls gave us a more unadulterated, nostalgic, very JYP eighties album. 

EXO and BIGBANG both continued to dominate the industry and the world, along with BTS later on in the year, making it on to mainstream music charts globally, proving the power of K-pop and their own international, large-scale appeal. IU also had a comeback which further solidified her megastar status but saw her battle with controversy.

On a personal note, alongside the above that were all what I saw as highlights of the year in K-Pop, I had a particularly fond spot for Roy Kim's latest album, The Great Dipper, which was, perhaps, my favourite of the year in any genre or language. It's certainly clear evidence of his advancement as an artist. Other highlights for me were anything Jooyoung or Zion T were involved in and Jong Hyun's solo activities. 

Looking at it all laid out, it makes me excited for what's next and the further growth of these acts. Hopefully, 2016 will be an even better year for K-Pop and will see the recognition for the genre grow even more.

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I'm a big K-pop fan and this summer has been a particularly great one for launches and reboots. As summer is now officially over, I thought I'd pop some of my favourite songs from the last few months up here for others to discover/obsess over/fall into the endless pit of dreaminess/sign away their lives to being a lame fangirl.

(Also, the use of the term "k-pop" is being used a little loosely here as a couple acts are probably better described as rock or R&B bands but all are South Korean music groups/artists.)

Playlist: Songs That Sound Like Summer

The charts and pop culture tend to dictate that some songs and albums and artists represent given summers but our own lives often have their own soundtracks as well - especially during summers. As a teen, I was prone to discovering a new band or album, falling madly in love and listening obsessively and exclusively to the one thing. The summer I was 14, I listened solely to Panic! At The Disco. At 15, it was the Ramones. 16 was Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing - the only music my family and I could agree on during hot car journeys with my legs on the dash and a heavy breeze coming in the window. Best Coast's first album is being on holidays and sitting by the pool at night, talking on the phone to the girl who would become one of my best friends, as we planned living together in second year of college. Last summer, I was all about The Cure and this summer it's K-Pop central.

There's gaps in there where the other songs on this playlist come into play. Each track is from a moment, means something but in some cases I can remember the time and feeling but not the specifics around it. I just know that if I hear any of these songs, I think of summer.

So, I hope you enjoy the playlist and do let me know your ultimate summer songs - I'd love to hear about them!

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May Favourites

Well, horrendously late as this may (heh) be, here's my May Favourites 2015! There's been lots of beauty products that I've liked but I've limited myself to only mentioning the ones I'm truly loving for now, I'm sure the rest will pop up in some other guise or another. In fact, my favourites this month are mostly cultural in nature; music, anime and television. And then there's the appearance of an absolute pillar of beauty in Dublin.

Ore Monogatari (My Love Story is the official English title) is the only anime this month. I often feel I've run through all the anime in the genres I like and I didn't think I'd like this one at all. But something made me give it a go anyway and, damn, if I was wrong! Charming, funny and very sweet, it tells the tale of Takeo, a giant mountain of a teenager who frightens women and girls but is adored for his physical prowess by other boys. His scary appearance belies his very gentle and kind nature. In fact, he's prone to saving strangers on a regular basis without expecting any kind of compensation. When he saves the beautiful Yamato from being groped on the train, she falls in love with him almost instantaneously. Best of all, she loves him, not in spite of how he looks but for it. She genuinely finds him handsome. Cannot recommend this enough, it'll make you happy.



On a very different end of the spectrum is Outlander, which has featured on my favourites before (I think) but has since come back and finished for the season. I was dying for every episode which I find less and less common a trend. If you haven't seen it, go now! It features time-travelling, period drama, beautiful Scottish landscapes (and a particularly beautiful Scottish man) and lots of intensity. The major thing I've taken away from it is that "mo chroí" (my heart in Irish and Scottish) is defo my new favourite pet name.



Then there is the music. I've been going mad for Sorority Noise, a kinda garage rock, fuzzy sort of band that very much remind me of early Weezer. And, again with the opposite ends of a spectrum thing, I'm digging the new EXO album, "Exodus," and its repackage so hard. The danciest, slickest thing I've heard in ages, it's got crazy-on point styling and ridiculously good choreography and MVs.





As I said, I've limited myself with the beauty favourites, so I have just one make-up, one skincare and one service favourite. The make-up pick is Topshop's Cream Blush in Head Over Heels (£7.00). I already spoke about it in my post on their 5 Years of Topshop Beauty Collection but it's basically a really pretty, natural shade that is light on the skin and blends easily and beautifully. The skincare item that I'm mad for at the moment is Caudalie's Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Eye and Lip Cream (€36.66*). It's immediately soothing and feels just wonderful on the skin. That it doubles up for eye and lip is especially useful for travelling.

And the service favourite is Tropical Popical, a Dublin nail salon that is quirky, fun and well-established. I dropped in at the start of the month on a Saturday and, luckily, snagged a drop-in appointment. I'd just gotten my hair cut and, while I liked the result, the hairdresser announced there and then that he was cutting six inches off. I'd been thinking about getting rid of a bit for a while but it was around seven years of growth gone instantaneously and wasted on the floor. I'd felt like I couldn't really say no, given how quiet the salon was and how yerman was acting like I was being silly just for questioning him. As I say, I liked the result, I was just a little fragile and taken aback. Which is why the kindness, professionalism and charm of Tropical Popical and their staff made me feel loads better. I got the mini-mani which is reasonable at €15 and I would highly recommend! Great experience all around.

So, that's what I was feeling in May. I'd love to hear about what you guys were into!

(* Press Sample. All opinions are my own.)

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The Summer K-Pop Playlist

There's something about K-Pop that makes it perfect summer music.

The other day, I was talking to a friend and mentioned that I had gotten back into K-Pop in a major way. I'm listening to it on the bus, bopping away to it as I work and craving it when my internet connection drops. I told her that I couldn't remember the last time I'd listened to it and didn't know why I'd gone so long without it. It's perfect for good moods and motivation.

She laughed and told me to look out the window.

Of course, it's the sun. K-Pop seems to be the perfect thing to listen to the moment the weather gets better. Perhaps because it tends to have beats that make you dance in your chair. Perhaps it's the crazy-good choreography that mesmerises you. Perhaps it's the insane production value.

Either way, it gets me smiling and moving and maybe it'll do the same for you. So, I thought I'd share my chair/car-danciest picks in playlist form. Because it's been a while since I popped a playlist up here.

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